ONE OF MY favorite stories dates back to the days when I used to work nights. It was about 1 a.m. and I had just arrived home. I began getting ready for bed when I thought I heard a knock on the door. I cautiously pulled the curtain aside, and there were two of my girlfriends, admittedly giddy. “C’mon,” they said. “Let’s go close the Deuce.” My husband and kids were asleep – why not? And so we did.

One of those friends moved away, but whenever she comes back to visit, we inevitably make our way to the Deuce.

A few days ago, I stopped by the 2 A.M. Club – the first time I’d been in there in a year or two. It felt like old times. And that’s what neighborhood bars like the Deuce, the Silver Peso, Smiley’s and Smitty’s do. They’re as comfortable as a beloved pair of old jeans – and often as frayed around the edges.

Carla Bova chats with the people behind and in front of the bars at some local hangouts to learn why they continue to survive in an era of $10 appletinis and exotic tequilas in this week’s Covered.

Meanwhile, Barfly learns a lesson about gossiping at a bar.

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